Of course this did nothing to settle mine or anyone else’s confusion. Lil Ugly Mane and Thermos Grenadine, photo courtesy of Robert Hein // first song that played was the strangely emotional opener from his last album “bird enemy car” followed directly by Thermos coming to life, introducing himself, and announcing that Ugly Mane would be unable to perform.

Even in the immediate moments before his set, my confusion only grew with a red curtain being placed on stage along with a large animatronic mascot who went by the name of Thermos Grenadine. Being a long-time fan, I had seen his music go from Memphis-inspired rap to more serious experimental rap to whatever his last album was. Leading up to Lil Ugly Mane’s set, I had no idea what to expect. I commend Injury Reserve for taking loss and being able to channel their feelings into such cathartic music. A part of me felt robbed that I would likely never get the chance to see their high-energy hits like “Jailbreak The Tesla” or “All This Money”, but another more reasonable part of me realized that these tracks wouldn’t be the same without Groggs even if they did perform them. The culmination of their set came with “Knees”, the only song on their last album to feature a verse from the late Groggs, and nowhere was his presence more missed than here. Ritchie with a T of Injury Reserve, photo courtesy of Ismael Quintanilla III // stage effects added to their set, with the blinding lights and stream of fog adding to the hazy atmosphere established by the music. “Top Picks For You” hit especially hard live, describing an algorithm that continues to recommend music for a person who is no longer around to listen.

Normally one to never deny an opportunity to shove people, I found myself unable to feel the desire to do anything other than stand there and grieve with the group. Personally, the set carried tremendous weight and gave me a glimpse of what it was like for the group to lose someone so close, though this didn’t stop others in attendance from partaking in what one could call avant garde moshing. Only playing tracks from this new album, it was clear that they didn’t care to play the hits or “bangers” anymore, opting instead to bend the limitations of hip hop to express their emotions over the loss of groupmate Steppa J. Their set could have very well been the headlining set, and I think most wished that time constraints hadn’t kept it as short as it was, but there were still two highly anticipated acts being awaited.Ĭoming off the release of their experimental By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Injury Reserve came with a set that reflected their recent musical shift. Armand Hammer, photo courtesy of Robert Hein // it would be hard for any listener to not appreciate their words with lines about how Woods “swore vengeance in the seventh grade, not on one man, the whole human race” or ELUCID’s “you need permission to have an issue with me, I’m not privy to the stories you live inside”.įans of their acclaimed album Haram were undoubtedly pleased as they played a handful of their Alchemist-produced cuts, and fans of Woods’ solo material also were likely happy with the inclusion of tracks like “Spongebob” and “Spider Hole”.

Blood of oblivion by rainy daze on cd